The Fairy and the Dragon
by Gleaxi
Summary: Inspired by an idea I saw on tumblr. What if Fiore was under a spell that caused you to know how long it would be until you met your soul mate? And how does that effect the characters we know and love? Gajevy
1. First Meeting

There was a spell cast over the world long ago, one that no one had ever tried to undo. It was a spell that gave each person an exact count down to when they would meet their soul mate. It manifested as a small clock on your wrist, slowly counting down the time from when you are born to when you meet them. The history of why the spell had been cast was lost to the past, though many people still wonder who would have created such a thing.

The people of today have gotten used to the idea, and some wait patiently, while others will still enjoy the time they have with others, regardless to the ticking clock on their wrist. Levy was one that waited. She wanted to be with her soul mate more than anyone she could have ever considered. Her teammates both wanted to be with her, and even if they knew how adamant she was about finding her true soul mate they still tried to get her attention. She hated it sometimes but there wasn't anything she could do to stop them. Their clocks both had so much time left on them, but hers was dwindling. She was going to meet him soon. Every day that dropped off that clock was a blessing. She had been reading for years about people that had met their soul mates , and how romantic it all was to them. She dreamed forever of the day she would meet hers.

Team Shadowgear was headed to the guild, Levy walked ahead of her bickering teammates, head in the clouds. Her clock had under a day left on it. She hugged her wrist to her chest, excited and a little nervous. She didn't have long to wait.

* * *

Gajeel Redfox stood on the roof of a building nearby, eyeing up his handiwork in the light of day. Steel pillars protruded from the destroyed guild in front of him, gleaming in the sunlight. He smirked before turning and jumping off the roof into an alley. He didn't want to be seen by any early fairies. He had been ordered to destroy the puny guild by master Jose, and he wasn't one to refuse orders. He glanced at his wrist, the clock covered by the edge of his glove. He knew the time was shortening. He had kept his clock time from his guild. Most of them didn't care about their clocks, the times on them still so far away. His was probably the shortest time, but he had always told them that it had frozen a long time ago. That could happen, though it only happened when your soul mate had died. The clock would be stuck at whatever time was left when they died. A lot of people that happened to became inconsolable, or angry at the magic that allowed them to know. It was impossible to get rid of the clock, even after it froze, and those people would be forever left with a reminder of what was lost to them.

He didn't need people asking him about his feelings, so by telling his guild that, he could avoid any unwanted attention. He growled and stalked away down the alley. He had been ordered to stay in Magnolia until he saw the fairies leave to attack, so he found a place to relax, in the branches of a tree in one of the parks. Less than ten hours remained. Metalicana hadn't put much stock in the magic that fueled the clock, but he did say that regardless to who his soul mate was, he should protect them with his life. A life mate was something that even the old metal dragon could understand and respect. He told Gajeel that he had to protect that person at all costs. Gajeel could only wonder at who it would be. He had no interest in people, romantically or otherwise, so whoever it was would have to make a rather large impression to keep his interest. He fell asleep in the tree, knowing that he would hear the fairies if they started on their way out of town.

* * *

Team Shadowgear sat in the basement with the rest of the guild, sullen and frustrated. Makarov had just given the order for them to remain at the guild or go out on a job, but they were not to take any action again Phantom Lord. Even with it being so close to the end of her clock, her mood was severely dampened. She was just as angry as the rest of the guild, frustrated that they weren't allowed to take action against the guild that did this. She listened to Natsu rave, his anger doing nothing to help the rest of the guild out of its slump. Lucy came over to her after the fire dragon had calmed down a bit. Jet and Droy were both sitting with her, but Lucy shooed them away. The blonde then sat next to her and got a sly grin on her face.

"So…. Your clock is almost at zero… you ready to meet him?" Lucy's clock had hit zero weeks ago, though she wouldn't admit to anyone that it had hit zero when she had met Natsu. The flame head hadn't even noticed his own clock hit zero, and any time anyone commented on it he would just blow them off. Levy was the only one she had confided in about it. Mirajane had been taking guesses on it for weeks, but neither girl would share what they knew.

"I'm a little nervous. With all of this going on even if I do meet him it won't be at a good time…. "

"I'm sure whoever he is will understand. I just hope whoever yours is isn't as crazy as mine…." Lucy side-eyed at Natsu who was trying to pick a fight with Gray, though the ice mage didn't really seem to be in the mood to fight, at least not with Natsu. Levy laughed quietly, nodding.

"Yeah… I don't know how you put up with him sometimes, Lu-chan."

"Neither do I." Lucy stood and walked over to the pink-haired man and slapped him upside the head, getting his attention away from Gray for a moment. He started yelling and she started yelling back. Levy just laughed again to herself before pulling out a book. The master had told all of them to stick together so she was planning on heading home with Jet and Droy, hoping that she would run into 'him' on the way home. At least then she would be able to prove to her teammates that their soul mates were still out there for them and to leave her alone about it. 

* * *

Gajeel yawned, covering his mouth with the back of his fist. The nap he had taken in the tree paid off, the sun was starting to set, and his clock had less than an left on it. He pulled the edge of his glove back over the clock with a frown and jumped from the tree. He had been told by Jose that if the fairies didn't mobilize because of the destroyed guild he was to attack a couple of their members, leave them something to find, something that would surely kick the fairies into action. He smirked, he was going to enjoy this. He headed across the roofs of Magnolia, back towards the destroyed guild. He was going to pick a couple of targets when they left and hit them on their way home in the dark. He found a roof nearby and perched there out of sight. He had been ordered not to attack the blonde girl, heartfilia. That was the only one he was not allowed to attack, so when he saw her leave alone he sighed. She was such an easy target, but he had his orders.

Shortly after the blonde left another small group left the building. Two slightly older men and a girl, a little wisp of a thing. Blue hair made her stand out against the darkening city. He was up wind of them so he couldn't smell her yet, but something made him follow them away from the building. He could feel his clock ticking down minutes left, but he couldn't go back an pick another target now. The sun had set and he was sure that the guild was empty. They would have to be his targets, but the clock was nagging him, ticking down to the seconds, leaving him no choice. It was her. It had to be her, but there was nothing he could do. He had his orders, and even if he spared her, there was no way that she would ever love him. He felt the guilt thick in his gut before the last minute even hit on his clock. "I'm sorry." He said quietly before jumping off the roof towards the small group. 

* * *

Levy watched the minutes tick down to seconds. Jet and Droy were talking to her, but her thoughts were elsewhere. Less than a minute and she heard something behind them. Ten seconds and she turned towards the sound. Five, and she saw a dark shape jumping off the roof. Two, and that shape was coming towards her with great speed. One, and she saw the red of his eyes, the tan skin, street lights glinting off of piercings. Zero. She screamed as she was tackled to the ground, a fist in her gut. Jet and Droy jumped into action seconds too late to stop him. They got him off of her, but the dark form came after them, metal blocking their attacks and slamming into them. They couldn't see his face, all they could see was red eyes, and metal glinting in the lights. The attacker knocked both of them out rather quickly, not wasting time. He turned to Levy, who was sliding herself across the ground, trying to get away. He stalked up to her, shoulder hunched. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder roughly. She kicked at his chest, hitting his back. She couldn't even concentrate enough to use her magic.

"Why are you doing this? Who are you? Please just leave them alone!" She struggled in his grip, grunting at she tried to get away. She didn't hear his response. He kept her over his shoulder, where she couldn't see his face. He grabbed the back of Jet and Droy's shirts, pulling them along behind him. She continued to struggle against his hold, though his grip was like iron, holding her across the waist against his shoulder.

He walked back to the tree he had napped in earlier that day. He set her down gently, before turning to the tree, keeping his face from her sight. He didn't want her to see the guilt that was already showing on his face. He made the metal bindings and placed both Jet and Droy on the tree before turning to her again. He kept his face emotionless as he came towards her. She slid away from him, her fear radiating off of her. His arm shifted into a metal pillar and it slammed into her body. She cried out in pain and it was all he could do not to go to her and help. He was the one causing this pain and fear. It was all him, and there was nothing he could do. He knew that Jose had sent someone to make sure he followed orders. He was the rouge element in Phantom, so Jose was always careful to have him watched. Otherwise he would stop. He slammed his arm against her body again, trying hard not to let her cries stop him. She was knocked unconscious for a moment from his last hit. She looked up at him as he picked her up and moved towards the tree. His touch was so gentle compared to how she had expected. She could see the dark expression, something was hurting him, even more than the pain that wracked her body as he carried her. She reached up and touched his cheek. He stopped, eyes widening at her fingers on her cheek.

"I understand." Her voice was weak, raspy as she spoke. He shook his head and lifted her against the tree, binding her arms to it with the same kind of bindings he had used on her partners, placing her between them. He leaned down and with mud he painted the Phantom Lord mark on her stomach. Her eyes closed as she passed out from the pain. He stood in front of them for a moment, breathing in deep. He was surrounded by the smell of parchment and leather. He knew this was her scent. He didn't think he would ever see her again, so he breathed as deep as he could, locking the scent away in his mind. He breathed out and turned away. He couldn't look at her any more without his instinct to protect kicking in. He walked away quickly, leaving to go back to his own guild. The mark on his shoulder burning like a mark of shame. He was so angry with himself, with his guild, with the entire situation he was in. 

* * *

The attack on Team Shadowgear had the desired effect. Fairy Tail was attacking, just as Jose had wanted. Gajeel didn't want anything to do with it, but his high position in the guild required him to be part of the fighting. He fought with Dragneel with vigor, taking out his frustrations on the flame dragon. He had even enjoyed it, though the fight had been cut short by Aria defeating their master. He growled in frustration at that, though he didn't let the rest of his guild know what was going on with him. In the fight he had taken out a number of his own guild-mates, letting their pain ease his own.

* * *

When they had recaptured the blonde in the main assault he had been left to guard her. His anger was in full force, beating the smaller girl to a pulp. She egged him on, telling him that her guild would defeat him. He couldn't believe her spunk, but at the same time he almost wished her threat to be true. He wanted to be beaten, though he didn't let that show. Everything he was anymore was a mask of lies. He wanted it all to end. He didn't deserve to live after what he had done to 'her'.

The fight with Natsu that followed was instinctive, both of them fighting at full strength. The flame head a won in the end, beating him to the ground. Gajeel was thankful for the defeat, his will to live disappearing. He was scum, and shouldn't even deserve to live anymore. There was no way of redemption for him, and he knew that. 

* * *

The weeks that followed were full of darkness. He didn't want to live. He wanted to end his existence, but couldn't do it himself. He got in a lot of fights in that time, though no one he fought was strong enough to even scratch his scales. The fines from the Magic Counsel left him with no money, and he ended up living in the rubble of one of the guild buildings that Mystogan had apparently destroyed while the guild force was fighting at Magnolia. The iron left in the building was pitiful, but he couldn't afford real food, and it at least sustained him for a while. He had hoarded it all in one of the least destroyed rooms, though most of the roof was still gone. His clothes were rather worn, and he was getting thinner. After his loss to Salamander, he had lost a lot of credit as a mage, and thus couldn't find work without a guild.

He was sitting on the top of his metal hoard as Makarov approached. "Yo." Gajeel turned at the voice, eye widening.

"M-Master Makarov?" The surprise in his voice said enough. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"For a talk." Gajeel could hear the old man struggling to climb the metal to his perch, but he made no move to help. "Juvia joined my guild the other day."

"She did what?"

"Yeah, and she seemed pretty worried about you."

"What the hell is that rain woman thinking?" He threw the metal he had been eating. Juvia had been probably his only friend in Phantom, she was the only one that knew about his clock, and he was the only one that knew about hers. They had shared in passing one day not long after the disbanding of phantom. He was going to kick her ass when he saw her again.

"What are you going to do now?"

"Beats me… I ain't decided yet." Lies. He was going to let himself waste away, in penance for his sins. "Well, I'll get by somehow." He heard the old man sigh behind him.

"Can I ask you a question?" Gajeel shrugged a shoulder so the man continued. "What were you thinking when you picked a fight with us?" The question caught him off guard. He turned his head and looked at the shorter man. "What did Phantom Lord mean to you? What did the guild mean to you? What did being a wizard mean to you?" Gajeel turned his face away and huffed.

"That's more than one question." He didn't have an answer to any of those questions. Why was the old man being so cryptic?

"They're all the same. I'm asking what do you, yourself, think about who you are? Would you have taken peoples lives if Jose had ordered you to? Are you that unquestioning?" Gajeel wanted to scream. He could feel the guilt of his actions weighing heavy on his shoulders, the images of the small woman he had beat still fresh in his mind, haunting his every waking moment. "You see, that's not different than being a puppet. But I don't think you're as boring a man as that."

"Shut up already. Leave me alone." Gajeel could hear the pity in the old man's voice. He didn't want pity, he wanted someone to end the living hell he had placed himself in.

"There's no need to throw yourself into the darkness." Gajeel couldn't believe what the geezer was saying. "How about it? Want to join my guild?"  
Gajeel turned himself to look at the man. "You must be joking! Are you serious?"

"There are people in this world who prefer solitude. But there is no one who can withstand it." Gajeel couldn't believe he had said something so profound. He turned away again, guilt even heavier on his shoulders.

"I'm the one who destroyed your guild!"

"Lets put all that aside."

"And…. I hurt your friends." The words hung heavy in the air for a moment. He felt a surge of magic behind him.

"That…. I will never forgive, no matter what." Gajeel could feel the anger coming from the man, aimed directly at him. The power faded and the old man spoke again. "But if I ignored a young man trying to throw himself into darkness, it'd be myself I could never forgive."

Gajeel was torn. He wanted to redeem himself, but becoming a member of the guild he hurt. Seeing her again, know he caused her so much pain. He didnt know if he could.

"This isn't me saving you. I'm simply showing you the path to tomorrow. Will you go forward, or will you stop? Its up to you to decide." Gajeel turned to him as he spoke, unbelieving that this old man could offer something like that. He didn't have a tomorrow, though he desperately wanted to fix his mistakes. He reached out his hand to take the one offered to him.

He grasped the old man's hand firmly. "I… I want to join you."Makarov smiled and nodded. holding Gajeel's hand firmly for a moment then let go.

"Come on then, we've got a ways to travel if we want to make it back to Magnolia before dinner. Mira will be furious with me if I'm not back on time." He smiled, before turning and leading the way down the pile of metal. Gajeel pocketed some smaller pieces of iron before they left, not sure when he was going to be able to get his hands on any for a while.


	2. Part of the Family

Levy was still recovering from the injuries that had been dealt to her the night she was attacked. The fight with phantom had been days ago, and she was just trying to put the whole thing out of her mind. Even Jet and Droy were quiet, though they were constantly at her side. She kept looking as the zeros on her wrist. She had been so hopeful for happiness, so hopeful that her soul mate would be someone that she could trust with everything. How wrong she was. Tears again threatened to spill from her eyes. They blurred her vision, the words on the page in front of her becoming a mass of black and white. She took a deep breath and brushed her eyes to clear the water away. She was done crying. She had told herself that when she left the infirmary. There was no way anyone would catch her crying about it any more.

She went back to reading the heavy tome in front of her, trying to clear her mind. It was a rather thick volume on script magic. She had been studying it for a while, trying to learn how to improve her magic. She didn't want to be caught off guard like that again. She sighed and closed the book, pushing her glasses up onto her head, over her headband. She knew that she wasn't going to be able to focus on the book anymore. She looked again at the clock on her wrist, her thoughts flashing back to what had happened. She had been so scared, and yet the dark man would not leave her thoughts. He had been fighting himself as much as he had been fighting her. She had seen the turmoil in his eyes when he had held her. Even in her nightmares his eyes held remorse as he hung her on the tree. She couldn't get rid of that image, as much as she wanted to just hate him, she couldn't. He was her soul mate, regardless to what had happened. He was her other half, though she feared his strength. She rubbed her eyes and stood, taking her glasses off her head and dropping them into her bag.

She walked out of the library, bag over her shoulder, into the sunlight. The main floor of the guild was just about finished, though they hadn't put the roof on yet. Most of the guild was helping with the construction, so there were people everywhere, all dressing in construction gear. Jet and Droy came rushing over to her as she left the library, one of them holding a helmet out to her.

"They are about to put the roof on." Jet explained. She nodded and put the helmet on over her hair, knowing that the moment she took it off again her hair would be an utter mess.

"Where do they need help?" She dropped her bag next to a pillar and looked where the boys were pointing. It seemed that the Master wanted some help getting the finished roof onto the top of the building. She ran off towards where Makarov was over seeing everything, leaving Jet and Droy near the library door.

She walked up next to the currently giant man. He was directing a couple of people to get ready to lift the roof into place. "I can help a bit with this." She said,and the master nodded with a smile. "Solid Script: Float!" She cast her magic, words appearing around her. The letters looked to made up of clouds. She directed her magic under the corners of the roof, making it float lightly off the ground. The weight was too much for her to move the whole thing alone, but it made the roof much lighter and thus easier for the rest of the guild members to lift it into place. Once it settled into place, covering the walled main room they all smiled and laughed. Now all that was left was to get the rest of the inside in order and the guild would be done. Makarov shrunk down to his usual size and walked over to her.

"Levy, I was wondering if I may talk to you for just a moment?" He asked, resting a hand on her arm. She nodded, looking over to where Jet and Droy were for a moment before following him into the rooms behind the bar. He jumped up onto a crate so he was standing close to her height and could look her in the eyes. "I haven't had much of a chance to speak with you since the attack from Phantom Lord. How are you feeling?"

"Better... I'm still having nightmares, but they are starting to fade... Physically I'm almost back to normal, still a couple bruises healing, but nothing major."

"I heard from Mira that your soul clock had hit zero that night...Was it him?" Levy couldn't answer, not verbally, but her eyes told him everything. "I'm truly sorry..."

"He felt guilt. I could see it in his eyes. Even in my nightmares I can see the guilt in his eyes. I can't even hate him for what happened..." She sat down on the box next to him and he rested a hand on her shoulder.

"In a way I'm glad you can't feel hate for him. That is such a dark emotion to have, and you are too bright a person for that. I wish things had been different, for your sake. If you need anyone to talk to..." He patted her shoulder before taking his leave. She sat in the silence for a few moments before taking a deep breath and standing up again. She nodded, put on a smile and walked back into the main room of the guild. 

* * *

They took a break around noon, and Levy was already exhausted. She was working her butt off trying to help get the rest of the guild in order. As she sat at the bar reading she heard a small commotion starting by the doors. She turned and saw someone walking into the building, getting a few dirty looks from the people near the door. She heard Mira take a sharp breath.

"Phantom Lord?" As those words left Mira's mouth Levy froze. Her mind flashed her back to her attack and she curled in on herself. Faintly she could hear Makarov saying something to the whole of the guild, though her mind couldn't grasp what had been said. Moments or hours later, she couldn't tell, she felt a small hand on her shoulder. She jumped, eyes wide, searching for a threat that wasn't there. Makarov had been the one to touch her. She took a deep breath, recovering from her lapse.

"Its not him. Another member of that guild is here though, and is asking permission to join Fairy Tail. She has approval from Eriza, apparently she helped our 'strongest team' out of a jam. She has also asked to speak to you personally, though I'm not sure of her motive for that, as long as you are willing..."

Levy gathered herself as he spoke, letting his calm tone bring her back to herself. She nodded as he trailed off, willing to at least speak to her, though she knew that it might not be plesant. "I'll talk to her. Maybe she can elaborate on why..." Makarov nodded and waved over the blue-haired rain woman.

"Juvia wants to apologize for what happened. Juvia truly feels bad for what happens, and hopes we can become friends?" Levy just nodded, standing up and turning away.

"If its okay, can we go to the library? I want to keep out of here, its gonna get loud when they start working again." Juvia nodded and followed behind the shorter girl as she led the way through the door and down the stairs to the library. Levy said in the large chair near the tables. It was too large for her, but she curled her legs up onto the seat and waited for Juvia to make herself comfortable.

The water mage sat down on the edge of her seat, hands clasped in front of her, elbows resting on her knees. She seemed so keen, though Levy wasn't so sure how this conversation would go. She didn't know who this woman was to the iron dragon mage. "Gajeel told me what happened that night." Her tone was completely different than it had been moments before. She seemed very serious, and that caught Levy's attention. "I know that this is hard, and that I'm probably the last person that you'll want to hear anything from about him and what happened. However, I would really like for you to listen to what I'm going to tell you. Even if you still feel the same afterwards, I'll understand."

"Just talk. I'll listen."

"I don't know how much of his past has been told to any one person. I only know enough to know that his guardian, Metalicana, left him seven years ago and not long after he joined Phantom Lord. What I do know beyond that, is that Master Jose never trusted Gajeel, no matter how many missions or jobs he went on. Gajeel had a constant shadow, watching his every move and reporting it back to Jose. There were a couple times when he first joined that he didn't follow Jose's orders. He did not come out of those meetings in one piece. Gajeel even tried to quit the guild once...He almost lost a limb, though he does his best to hide those particular scars. He was being followed the night he attacked you, and he regretted his actions, even if he could not change them. He knew you for what you were, and if he hadn't done what he did, you could be dead right now. Jose would have taken you to use against him, even if you don't know each other, Gajeel still would have fought Jose to save you. Metalicana taught him to trust his instinct, and his instinct told him to protect you at all costs, though to do that he had to hurt you. I know you may hate him, but he can change. I just wanted you to know that..." Juvia stood, and smiled slightly before turning and walking back out of the library, leaving the little blunette deep in thought.  
She met Makarov at the door to the library, the old man had also listened to the tale. "He has seen so much darkness for one so young..." The old man stated simply. Juvia just nodded, and they both left the room, the door thumping quietly as it closed behind them. 

* * *

The trip back to Magnolia was rather uneventful. Neither one of them spoke, the silence between them comfortable if just a tiny bit tense. Gajeel was worried about what would happen when they arrived, though he didn't let that show. He had his arms crossed while he stared out the window. Makarov sat across from him, seeming to be in deep thought for most of the trip.

When they exited the train, Gajeel fell into step behind the master, as he led the way to the guild. It was getting close to sunset, the sky just starting to change colors around them. People were taking their time on the streets, enjoying the weather while it lasted.

"Master?"

"Hmm?"

"Do they know that you had left to get me?"

"I didn't really have a chance to tell anyone. It was a rather sudden decision on my part. Juvia had asked me, and I went. They will understand. Maybe not right away, but in time."

"And her?"

"I can't really say for sure how she will take you becoming part of the guild. There are many things that the both of you will have to work through, but Gajeel. If you don't do your best to protect her, you will suffer for it, and it won't be by my hand." Gajeel just nodded, absorbing what he said as they walked. They turned the corner onto the street leading to the guild. The building looked almost complete. They had managed to get even more work done, though their arrival would warrant a major interruption in the process.

Makarov led the way into the building, hoping to keep everyone calm. Gajeel followed closely, keeping his features blank if not a little uninterested. He didn't want to fight, but if someone struck at him, he would not be afraid to strike back. Juvia was near the front door when they entered, wanting to be able to stand with the master and protect her guildmate. Gajeel looked over at her and she knew that they were going to have a very long conversation at some point.

The others in the guild halted in their work as Makarov walked towards the center of the guild hall.

"I'm home."

"Welcome ba... Master!" Mira gasped as she saw who was following the short man through the guild. She wasn't even sure what she could say.

"Its alright Mira, if you could get everyone gathered up I have an announcement that I need everyone to hear." She ran off to do that, looking back once before hurrying around. "Juvia, could you go find Levy? I want you to be by her when I make this announcement. Jet and Droy will be angry with me, and you may have to keep them from attacking Gajeel straight out." Juvia nodded and hurried off through a door. Gajeel stayed close to the old man, not wanting to screw up the old man's plan.

Makarov walked up onto the stage, standing near the front edge while everyone gathered in the main room. As they gathered they all saw Gajeel standing on the stage, and the murmurs between members grew angry. Juvia could be seen walking with the short script mage out of the room she had entered before, walking farther into the room. Gajeel heard the small gasp as she realized it was him on the stage with the master. He could hear Juvia explaining quickly to the panicking girl and could only wish that he could erase her fear of him. He could smell it in the air, just under the smell of fresh wood and paint. He frowned, crossing his arms and keeping his eyes firmly away from her, as not to scare her even more.

"Now I'm sure you all know who this is up here with me... And I know many of you are very angry at him. But! I need all of you to move past what has happened. He is going to be part of Fairy Tail. He is going to be part of our family. We all have pasts that have hurt us, and he is no different. We are a family because we see past our mistakes and still care for one another. I have decided that he needs our care. I'll understand if you are angry, and I will listen to your anger. However! If I hear of anyone attacking him because of his past, you will be swiftly punished. He is part of us now, and I will not have fighting in my family!" Gajeel felt like a charity case by the time that Makarov was done speaking, but he also understood, the only way for Makarov to get them to accept him was for them to accept that he made mistakes, and that he was going to work towards fixing those mistakes.


	3. Danger Approaches

The members of Fairy Tail were not at all thrilled with him there, but he put in at least as much time as they did on finishing the building. He helped put in the last of the support beams, using his iron abilities to their fullest. As the days past they got used to him being there. He didn't talk much, maybe just a few words in passing about the work they were doing. He didn't share any of his own stories and they didn't share theirs. He avoided the room covered in her scent at all costs. He would see her rush into that room every morning and remain there until the sun was almost gone from the sky. He would then watch her small form rush back out to meet up with her partners, those lousy lapdogs, and leave for home.

Gajeel didn't want to intrude on her life anymore than necessary. He was watching from afar though, because regardless to how much he wanted to let her be happy, he wanted to know her. He was raised to protect those that matter, because if they leave there is nothing left. He knew what it was like not to have anything to live for, and even if she didn't know it, she was his reason to live.

It was one of the last days working on the guild, the building was almost done, and everyone was getting more comfortable with his presence, even if they still didn't like him. He finished putting together a couple of tables and watched as Jet and Droy crowded around the girl, shooting him a few dirty looks as they left the building. She had been out in the main rooms of the guild that day, walking as far away from him as possible, but she had gathered herself enough to be in the same room. He was surprised, and glad that she was working through her fear. He wanted to stay in the guild, and he knew eventually they would have to come face to face, though it seemed fate wanted that to happen sooner rather than later. The three of them had left quite a while before, and Gajeel was finishing a few last things before leaving himself when Jet and Droy came rushing back into the building, Droy breathing rather hard, and Jet looking a bit frantic. The people still there stopped and turned to them, wondering why they looked so worried.

"Levy wanted to cut through the park on the way home….. We didn't think anything of it….. Someone came up behind us and knocked us out… When we came to she was gone!" Jet said between breaths. "I looked everywhere."

Gajeel set down the chair he had been putting together, walking towards the doors. Makarov was right behind him. Jet and Droy both scowled when they saw him headed towards him. "Which park?"

"No, you aren't going to be the one to save her. You may hurt her worse than the people that took her!" Droy practically yelled at the dragon, his anger over what had happened over powering his worry for a moment. Makarov cleared his throat to get the attention of everyone.

"Gajeel is the only one who will be able to find her quickly. He has the same sense of smell that Natsu does, and Natsu isn't here right now. You need to trust him to bring her home safely. Gajeel, you will bring her home in one piece." It sounded like an order that would not be refuted. Gajeel nodded, turning back to Jet and Droy with a smirk.

"Don't worry, the Shrimp is in safe hands." He walked past them out into the darkening city. He took a deep breath, catching the trail they had made when they first left the guild an hour before. He tracked it to the park where he could smell a new group heading off with Levy's scent in the mix. He growled deep in his throat, letting his instincts kick in as he trailed the scent. He wanted to protect her, but how could he when her lapdogs kept him at such a distance. He was trying to keep her from fearing him by keeping his distance in the guild, but he was not going to let something like this happen again.

He trailed the scent of parchment and leather to the edge of town, a set of older, worn down buildings that hadn't been in good repair for years. He stopped near the door of one, hearing people talking inside. He stilled and listened closely.

"You should have been more careful! You had better hope that she wakes up soon…. The boss wanted her awake when he got started….." Gajeel had heard enough. He kicked in the door, revealing two men standing over an unconscious Levy, who was tied up and leaning against a wall.

"Gihi, well, looks like I get to have some fun after all…." He smirked at the two, punching one fist into the open palm of his other hand. "Well, who's first?" The two charged at him, one of them casting some kind of requip magic, though he didn't see what it was as the other mage swung a metal bar right towards his face. He caught the bar with a hand, looking at the mage. "This is really poor quality… look at it, all rusted… not even worth enough for a snack…." He pulled the bar out of the man's hand and slammed a pillar shaped arm into his face. He turned to see his other opponent wielding a rather strange set of blades. They weren't like Titania's, they had a different sort of energy, a lot darker.

He shifted his stance to dodge the first swings, not sure what those blades striking him would do. He brought out his scales, grabbing one of the blades as it whipped close to his face. He stepped back with a wince, letting go rather quickly. He looked down at his palm to see acid burning through his scales. "Tch" He grunted, clenching the fist and turning back to his opponent.

"This should be interesting….." The other man grinned wickedly, before attacking again, his duel blades making Gajeel dance back out onto the street to keep from getting struck. He growled, hating to lose ground in a battle. He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders.

"Iron Dragon Breath!" He exhaled through both hands, a whirlwind of metal scraps heading straight for his enemy. The man attempted to block the attack with the blades, but they couldn't take the strength and he heard the metal break and the man let out a cry of pain. Gajeel dropped his hands and looked at his opponent, unconcious on the ground.  
He walked over, wanting to know why these people had been after the little script mage. He checked both of them and only found a small slip of paper in the one's pocket. It had just a single symbol on it, though Gajeel wasn't sure what the symbol meant. He pocketed it to give to the master.

He studied Levy's form as he walked up to her. She was still unconscious, bruises starting to form on her arms, as well as one large one on her cheek. Her hair was ruffled, signature headband missing from its proper place. That caused her bangs to hang over her eyes, though he could still see the bruise darkening her skin. He kept himself from growling only because he was scared to wake her with a sound like that.

"Geeze, shrimp… you need better body guards….." He picked her up carefully, one arm under her knees, the other supporting her torso. He held her close, cradling her against his chest. He walked slowly back to the guild, not wanting to jostle her and make her wounds any worse.

He walked back through the doors of the guild, Levy still unconscious in his arms. He was surrounded by the other guild members rather quickly, Elfman taking the small girl from him carefully and going with his sister back to the infirmary. Gajeel wasn't very happy to give her up, but he knew that if he got clingy, everyone else would get defensive. He waited until she was completely gone from the room before explaining what had happened to the remaining guild members, handing Makarov the slip of paper.

"This is the Raven Tail symbol…. What would Ivan want with Levy….." The Master's tone was heavy with worry. Gajeel turned to look at Jet and Droy, a frown across his face.

"You two….. You need to guard her better. This cannot happen again. You should have learned something from my attack, and yet this happened under your guard! " Gajeel was furious, and they were the only outlet he had left to take it out on. His soul mate had been kidnapped under someone elses watch and even though he had saved her, she should have been better protected in the first place.

"Gajeel… calm yourself. She is safe. That is enough for now." Makarov said simply, knowing that the dragon's words were true, but he could see how much it pained Jet and Droy to be hearing something like that from the very person that had attacked them before. "Come with me, Gajeel… We need to speak privately." The Master walked away, to where they had placed his office in the new guild building. Gajeel glared at the two for a moment more before growling quietly and following the old man, letting his anger settle into his gut. He wanted retribution for the pain that was caused, redemption for the pain that he had caused. It was all the same to him. 

* * *

Levy woke slowly, the pain on her head sharp as she moved. All she could remember was being knocked out in the park, beyond that she had no clue where she was. She opened her eyes carefully, or at least tried to, one was completely swollen shut, and it hurt to even move. She groaned in pain, closing both and laying her head back against the pillow.

"Ah, she's up!" Levy heard Mira's voice from somewhere in the room and let herself relax a bit. She had been worried that she wasn't safe. "Levy, are you okay?"

"If I could open both eyes that answer would be yes…." She said, as Mira helped her sit up against the headboard. She opened her eye again, taking in the room around her. Makarov was sitting on one the stools. It seemed that Mira had been sitting in the other one. They were the only ones in the room with her. She was surprised that Jet and Droy weren't there.

"I told them that they could visit once you are feeling a bit better." The Master said, smiling. She nodded, though that caused her to hiss in pain."

"What happened?" She asked quietly. She was worried, but neither of the other two seemed too upset.

"You were attacked on your way home…. Jet and Droy came back here to get help in saving you, though Gajeel was the one to get you back." Makarov said plainly, though Mira glared at him when he told the story. She wasn't sure how well Levy was going to take the fact that the iron dragon slayer had been the one to save her.

"Gajeel?"

"He seemed rather adamant about saving you, and with Natsu gone, he was the only one that could locate you. He brought you back here last night, and then stayed her all night with Mira and Elfman to make sure that you weren't attacked again. He is rather focused on your safety….." Levy stayed silent, absorbing all of the information, confused how the man who had beaten her so horribly could be so worried about her safety now. She looked at her wrist, the zeros blaring in her face. "Well… We should let you get some rest. I'll send in your team mates in a while to check on you." Mira and Makarov left the room, leaving the bookworm alone with her thoughts. 

* * *

Gajeel sat at the bar, a drink in front of him untouched. Cana had given it to him and told him to lighten up. Everyone else in the guild seemed much more comfortable with him after what had happened. He kept getting told by people as they past, "Levy's a Fairy Tail Wizard, she'll be fine."

He had no clue what they meant by that. In Phantom is was every man for himself, except when it came to Jose. He frowned even harder into his drink before hearing Mira and the master walk out from the back hallway. He looked up, worry crossing his features for only a moment before he forced his face into an expressionless mask.

"Levy's fine, just a little banged up." Mira said as she walked back behind the bar. Everyone smiled and went back to work, getting the rest of the guild in order. Gajeel just watched them go, his worry for the girl extending much farther than just what had happened. He didn't want anything like this to happen again, though he couldn't figure out a way to stop it, because he couldn't get close to her without scaring her. He was so frustrated about all of it. And on top of all of that, Makarov had given him a job. He had been told he could refuse, but all of his thoughts had gone back to when he had refused Jose, and he just took the job to keep from anything like that happening again. "Gajeel?" Mira's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"What?" He grumbled, not wanting to talk to the woman, but from what he could tell, she was not to be ignored either.

"Elfman is going to be walking Levy home for the next week or so… and I know Makarov had a job for you? She'll be safe, Gajeel. Go on your job and come back home in one piece. She'll still be here when you get back."

He just looked at her, wondering how she knew why he hadn't left yet. He grunted and stood. Before he turned away he looked her right in the eye. "I'm holding you to that." He walked past the other guild members and out the door, wanting to get done what needed done so he could be back to keep an eye on the girl.

A few members wanted to know what had transpired between Mira and Gajeel for him to leave so quietly after what had happened the night before. She just smiled and waved them off. 

* * *

Levy came out of the infirmary later that afternoon, helped by Jet and Droy, because she still couldn't quite see out of her eye. The swelling had gone down some, but the bruising made it uncomfortable to open. She had asked both her team mates what had happened, but they didn't want to talk about it at all, avoiding all of her questions. She wanted to know for sure that Gajeel was the one to save her. She wanted to know what had moved him to do such a thing. As she walked back into the main room of the guild hall, her thoughts were very far away. Everyone seemed happy to see her on her feet, wincing in empathy at the bruises. She sat down at one of the tables that were finished. It seemed that the work really was almost done, though she didn't think she could really help any more. She looked down at her wrist again, her thoughts trailing back to the dragon slayer. She still couldn't grasp the fact that he had saved her. Her fear didn't let that image stay. Every time she tried to picture him saving her, her mind would just thrust the image of him pinning her to a tree in its place.

She couldn't even read while her eye was like that, which was even more frustrating, because she really did want to get back to work on the studying she had been doing all week. She was working on mastering new spells, to better defend herself, though from what had happened it seemed what she really needed was to just avoid getting attacked from behind, because that was what was causing all of her problems.

Mira came over to her after a while with something to eat, and sat down next to her. "I've talked Elfman into walking you home until the master figures out why you were attacked. Don't worry, Levy, we aren't going to let that happen again."

"Well… third time's the charm, right?" Levy was not in the mood to be cheered, her frustration at her fear and her lack of abilities.

"Its not your fault. Its not anyone's fault. We just get stronger and move forward." Mira wanted to tell her what Gajeel had said to her teammates, how much he cared for her safety, but she could tell that Levy wasn't ready to hear it. Mira stood, leaving the script mage to her thoughts as she headed back to the bar. 

* * *

Gajeel tromped back into the guild hall a couple of days later, looking around. It seemed like they had finished work on it while he was gone. He looked around at the crowded tables, ignoring the obnoxious noise coming from them as he searched for a very specific person. He found her sitting at a corner table with her teammates. Her bruises had finally faded, and she seemed rather cheerful. He nodded, passing through the main floor on his way to the bar. Few of the guild members even noticed him beyond a passing glance, and none of those seemed to hold any anger at him anymore. He smirked to himself in wonder at this crazy guild that would accept someone like him so quickly.

Mira saw him coming and smiled, glancing once towards Levy, who hadn't noticed his return yet. "Welcome back!" She looked genuinely happy to see him in one piece, which was surprising. HE sat down with a grunt, looking around him again.

"Seems like you guys finished while I was gone, looks nice."

"You know, you are supposed to say. 'I'm Home!' when someone welcomes you back…" Cana said from the seat next to him, a barrel of alcohol sitting on the bar next to her.

"Too bad." He grumbled. "Is Makarov here?"

"In his office, it seems that he got a message from the Counsel about the tower thing that Juvia helped Eriza with." He nodded and left the bar, wanting to talk to the master about what he had found out.


	4. Fights Break Out All Over

"So Ivan really was behind the attack on Levy?"

"He didn't target her specifically, but yes. He hired some mages to do his dirty work in an attempt to keep you from tracing it back to him, though that failed. He was trying to get some kind of information, but I'm still not sure what exactly he wanted."

"He left here with critical information when I exiled him from the guild. He is probably trying to find out more in an attempt to destroy us." Gajeel shrugged. "I assume that after this foul up, he is going to back off a bit, because he must realize by now that if he wants anything done right he will have to send the members of his own guild here to gather the information. Though the moment he does we can just call the magic counsel and get him arrested. "

"Though he may also just try a different tactic."

"Hmm?"

"Bribery." Gajeel smirked. "When Phantom wanted something that no amount of force could take, they always fell to bribing the one that had it until they gave it up. Ivan may try to find someone in the guild, or close to it to gather the info he wants for money." Makarov thought long and hard about this for a moment, contemplating what he knew of Ivan.

"That is a possibility, though a very small one. As you have seen, those in this guild are extremely loyal to it."

"I know that, but does Ivan?"

"He doesn't know very many of the members that are here now, he left before most of these children even arrived...Perhaps we can use this idea to our advantage. I'll speak to a couple of people. We may just be able to work with this. Thank you for doing this for me, though I hate putting you in this kind of danger."

"I can handle it." Gajeel smirked, and then left the office. He knew that he was being dismissed to the master could think of their next move. He had been surprised when Makarov had asked him to look into why Levy had been taken, though he was glad to do it, to get revenge for the shrimp with the assholes that grabbed her.

He walked back through the main room, finding a table to sit down at. He plopped onto the bench, pulling a handful of iron out of his pocket. He munched on the screws and bits of iron plating while glancing around the guild. The shrimp and her lapdogs were gone from the seats they had been in before. He huffed and hunched his shoulders, staring down at the table in front of him.

He heard the quiet footsteps of the white-haired woman coming towards him. He just grunted once as she set a mug in front of him. "Natsu and the others are home. Try to be nice?" She asked with a smile. She knew there might be fighting, but hopefully Gajeel had gotten comfortable enough at the guild not to do too much damage to anyone. She walked back to the bar with a sigh, hoping they could avoid too much destruction when Makarov told Natsu. Gajeel finished the drink she gave him as well as his iron and just sat for a while. He almost enjoyed the noise of the rowdy guild, at least it was better than the quiet whispers he would hear at Phantom.

"Come on. Say hello." Makarov's voice caught his attention. Gajeel turned and saw that Natsu and his group were all standing around not too far away.

"Tch" he grunted, not wanting to get in a fight with them so soon after joining. It might mess up all the work he had put into being ignored by the rest of the guild.

They didn't seem too happy to see him, which suited him just fine. Makarov defended him, though that didn't seem to mean too much to them. Then he heard her voice. "Yeah... It doesn't bother me at all..." He turned to see her cowering between a table and bench, shaking. He turned away again, not wanting to see her fear.

Natsu slammed his hand down on the table in front of him. "Screw this! I can't work with this guy!"

"Don't worry. I don't plan on being your buddy. All I want is work. It disgusts me that I ended up working at the guild I can stand the least." Lies, all lies. He wasn't going to let the damn flame brain know the real reason though. That would be like salting the wounds.

"What did you say?" Natsu was getting angry, Gajeel wasn't feeling much calmer. After a few tense moments, both dragons growling, Natsu backed off and left him alone.

* * *

Levy was happy to show Lucy and the rest around the new guild and was glad that they were back safe from their trip. She had even managed to be only a few feet from Gajeel without running away screaming. Now that was an improvement. She still couldn't believe that the dangerous man had saved her only a few days before. Once Natsu and Gajeel had stopped growling at each other she managed to go back to her own table with Jet and Droy, who had been glaring daggers into Gajeel when she had been talking to Lucy. They all three settled down at their table, as Mira took the stage to sing. They had been told of the performance just earlier that day, since Mira had wanted to wait until Natsu's group made it home to do it.

When the lights cut out on the stage, Levy looked over, wondering what was going on. They came back on and there was Gajeel on the stage, somehow he had managed a complete change of clothes as well. "What the?" She said, confused. He started singing and a bunch of people were throwing things at him. The song really was bad, but for some reason it seemed like he was singing something stupid on purpose. She couldn't help but laugh as his horrible singing started a fight between him and Natsu. The roughhousing quickly got out of hand, like it always did, and soon most of the guild was pulled into it. She moved out of the way as the fight got larger, scared to join in in case Gajeel was the one she ended up hitting by mistake. She could tell from the way he was fighting with everyone that he was holding back, but she didn't want to chance it. If he accidentally hit her, even while pulling his punches, she suspected that things would get a whole lot more dangerous. She managed to skirt the fight and get into the library, where the soundproof walls kept the noise from the other room to a dull roar.

* * *

The fight in the main room lasted for probably close to 30 minutes, tiring everyone out and destroying a lot of the tables in the room. Gajeel sat against a pillar, nursing a couple of decent bruises. He was almost smiling. This place was fun. If something like that had happened at Phantom, Jose would have had them all beaten to a pulp for destroying guild property. Not that anyone at Phantom would have been able to fight against him, even in a fight that was meant just to be fun.

Juvia came over to him as the fighting completely died down, nursing a couple bruises of her own. She sat next to him and leaned against the pillar as well. "Juvia has never seen this kind of fighting before. That was exciting!" She was smiling wider than he had ever seen her smile.

"You really like it here, huh?"

"Juvia is happy to be in a place that accepts her and Gajeel for who we are."

"Gihi... They accept you just fine... me, I'm not so sure of."

"Juvia is sure! Juvia knows from her time traveling with them that they only treat people the accept like this. If they didn't accept you... they would have gone a lot harder on you." She sounded so sure of herself that he wasn't going to fight her on it.

"Whatever... So, have you managed to get the attention of that weird stripper yet?" He looked over to see her face turn three shades redder as she pushed her fingertips together.

"Gray won't pay any attention to me... Juvia doesn't think he believes in the soul clocks... Of maybe he is just afraid... Juvia doesn't know"

"Gihi, you'll figure him out eventually, either that or you could always go find someone else."

"No no no no... Juvia knows that her clock was right, Gray is definitely Juvia's soul mate!" Gajeel just laughed, glad his friend was so comfortable with this new place. They were both outcasts, but Juvia seemed to be making herself at home. "And what about Gajeel? Have you managed to talk to Levy yet?"

"She's scared of me... and I don't deserve her attention anyway." Gajeel was gruff, turning away to look at the door to the library. Juvia just looked at him, her smile fading into worry. "There's no making up for what I did, regardless to how I feel... She's better off with one of her damn lapdogs than she is with me." Gajeel was growling low, the thought of Levy being with one of her teammates making him angry, even though he was the one to say it. He meant that she was better off with someone that wouldn't hurt her again, and yet he couldn't get her out of his head.

"I told her..."

"Told her what?" Gajeel turned to look at his guild mate.

"Juvia told her about Phantom, and how you were treated there. Juvia doesn't know if it made a difference or not, but Levy knows." Gajeel growled low in his throat. " The master was going to go get you, and Juvia was hoping that by telling her she may forgive you easier..."

"Next time you want to spout of about my past to someone. Don't." He stood and walked away, his mood from before soured by the fact that Levy knew about his past. He would have told her eventually, but she knew his past before even knowing him properly and for some reason that pissed him off.

* * *

Levy came out of the library after the fighting died down, wanting to check on Jet and Droy to be sure they weren't too beat up that they couldn't walk her home. Elfman had been walking with them the past few nights, but she had managed to convince him that they were fine just the three of them. He had agreed reluctantly, saying that Mira was probably going to yell at him about it. Levy had assured him it was fine.

Jet and Droy were both fine, just a few bruises this time. She smiled as they jumped up when she walked over. "I'm getting ready to go home, do you guys want to walk with me?" They both nodded, smiling. She looked around the rest of the guild. Most of the members were sitting around talking after the fight, acting like half the room wasn't destroyed. She loved her guild, how everyone just cared about each other, regardless of anything else. She even saw Gajeel and Juvia as part of that, even though the dragon still scared her, she was happy he was settling in. She didn't even want to be scared of him, but her nightmares still plagued her, and her body reacted to him by instinct, wanting to avoid the pain she suffered at his hand. She sighed and turned back to her teammates. "Let's go."

They left the building, heading down the main street, not planning any detours on the way home to avoid any problems. Levy stayed close to her team, walking between them, eyes moving quickly, keeping watch in case anyone tried to attack them again. Elfman had kept them safe the past couple of nights, but she didn't want to always rely on him to walk her home. She was strong enough to walk with just her team, even if the dark streets scared her a bit.

* * *

Gajeel had seen the shrimp and her lapdogs leave the building, though it seemed like something was missing from that group. He walked over to Mira. "I thought your brother was walking them home at night?"

"Levy asked him not to today. I suspect she wants to prove that they will be fine without a guard."

"We still don't know what Ivan is planning..." Gajeel growled and turned away from the barmaid, quickly making his way out of the guild, following Levy's scent. He caught up to them rather quickly. They weren't walking very fast, but he could tell that all three of them were on high alert. Jumping up to the roof of the nearest building, he followed them at a distance. He didn't want to scare her again if he could help it, but he was going to make sure that she made it home safe, even if he had to watch her from afar to do so.

Once he watched her walk into the building he assumed she lived in he jumped down from the roof, not caring that Jet and Droy both saw him. "What are you doing here, bastard?" Jet yelled. Droy looked back just to make sure that Levy was out of earshot.

"None of your business."

"We can protect Levy without your help. Just leave her alone."

"If you two lapdogs could protect her properly, you wouldn't have lost to me or those weakling mages."

"Asshole."

"I don't care what you call me, I'm just trying to keep her safe since you two can't manage that." Gajeel walked away with a wave, which only made the other two mages even angrier. He didn't care what they thought of him. He wasn't going to let their punk asses get her hurt again.

* * *

The next morning, Gajeel was standing in front of the job board, trying to pick something small that would help him pay his rent for the month, but wouldn't get in the way of the job he was doing for Makarov. He grabbed a listing for a job to go beat up some mercenaries that were stopping traffic in and out of a small town and asking for tolls. It was a simple job and wouldn't take him more than a day total. He walked up to the bar and showed Mira, who nodded and smiled, marking the job as taken.

"Be careful!" She said, before turning away to get something for one of the other members. He grunted and walked away from the bar. "Wait! Jet and Droy left you a note when they came in earlier, I almost forgot." She handed him the small slip of paper, a worried look crossing her eyes. He shrugged at the look, not sure what they wanted either. He opened the note and looked down at the scrawl. With a grunt he turned and walked out of the building, managing to throw a few punches in the fight that was breaking out on his way.

* * *

The sky was clear, sunlight pouring down on them as they stood waiting in the park. Levy had been against the whole thing. She thought it was ridiculous that they wanted to prove themselves against the metal dragon slayer. "Levy, it will be fine. We just need to settle this once and for all." Jet had told her. They hadn't mentioned the fact that the dragon had followed them the night before, not wanting to scare her.

They all three turned as Gajeel walked towards them. Levy moved to behind the tree, wanting to put something between her and the annoyed looking dragon. "So, What did you call me out here for? I was about to get started on a job too."

"A Job?" Jet asked, his tone nothing short of impertinent.

"You destroyed our guild!" Droy was just as angry.

"You two are really petty aren't you?" Gajeel just wanted to get it over with.

Levy leaned out away from the tree, trying to get her teammates' attention. "I don't really think we should do this... I don't really care about what happened before..."

"We have to show him..."

"Who's Boss."

Gajeel smirked, it looked to him like these two really wanted to prove themselves capable of protecting their partner. He wasn't even planning on fighting them. They wanted to beat him up? Fine. He wasn't going to get violent with the shrimp so close.

"Act tough while you can!" Jet launched himself with his speed magic at Gajeel, knocking him back.

Droy followed his partner and used his plant magic. "Knuckle plant." He called as the plants grew up around the dragon slayer, knocking him up in the air so Jet could hit him again. Gajeel landed hard and caught his balance, body pushed backwards, creating ruts in the ground. He looked up at the two of them, waiting for them to get it overwith so he could get on with the job he was planning on working.

"Come on."

"What's your deal?"

He ignored both of them, but looked up as Levy gasped. A third male had joined them. He was tall, well built from what Gajeel could see. "What's this harassment?"

"Laxus?!" The two said together. Gajeel could feel the power coming off him, and knew that something bad was gonna happen.

"So this is the brat that picked a fight with my guild? I guess the old man only let you join to keep you from wrecking it again, right?" Laxus approached him as he spoke, his tone getting angrier  
with every step. "That's exactly why everyone mocks us, you piece of shit!"

Everyone in the clearing could feel the malice pouring off Laxus in waves, though none of them knew what to do. "On my way back, I heard things in pubs everywhere that pissed me off..'Fairy Tail ain't that great'?! 'Those losers are done for'?"

Gajeel couldn't move fast enough to even predict the lightning strike that hit him. He screamed out in pain, his whole body one large conductor for the electricity.

"Its because of you!" Laxus yelled, lightning rising from the ground as he struck it, the surge rushing towards Gajeel, pushing him back and into a tree, his whole body screaming from the pain.

"Stop, Laxus, this is going too far!" He faintly heard Jet say. He started to stand, his weight on his hands and knees. Before he could move anymore, Laxus stomped on his head, pushing his face back to the ground.

"I'm going to teach you what happens to people who fuck with Fairy Tail!" He repeatedly stomped Gajeels head, trying to prove a point.

"Stop, Laxus, that's enough. " Jet called out again. Laxus turned towards them.

"You stay out of this." He raised his hand and shot another bolt of lightning. It rushed past her partners, and headed straight for Levy. Before she could even blink Gajeel was standing in front of her, his iron covered arm absorbing the shot that had been meant for her. He wasn't even completely aware of himself. All he knew was that the power in that strike could have killed her, and his instincts told him he had to stop the attack at any cost.

"Gajeel?" They all stared at him in shock.

"Is that enough for you? I have a job to do..." He staggered away from them, heading out of the park.

"Eh..." he could hear her trying to come up with something to say, to stop him.

"Just let me be..." he grunted, body one large bruise. He stumbled out of the park and leaned against the wall that surrounded it, trying to clear his head. That had been a lot more that he had been expecting to take, but maybe they realized what he had been doing. He took a deep breath and started back to the guild. There was no way he was going to manage that job now.

* * *

**Update**

So is not letting me upload the latest chapter of this fic to the site right now, and I'm going to be away from the internet until tomorrow evening or monday. So I'm posting this to the bottom of this chapter instead.

I'm glad you are all enjoying this fic so far! I really enjoy all of the reviews. Any kind of criticism will help me better my writing, so if you have any ideas let me know!

Also, besides on this site, I also post this fic to Ao3 and Tumblr. Links to both of those and my personal tumblr are all on my profile, so feel free to find me on those sites as well.

Starting with Chapter 6 I'm going to be moving to updating once a week, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be posting chapters on wednesdays, but don't quote me on that. Beyond that, on my tumblr I'm going to be accepting prompts for oneshots of a bunch of different pairings and fandoms, so if you want to see anything specific, let me know.

Beyond that, thanks for reading!


	5. Recovery

Levy didn't see the dragon slayer again until much later in the day. She was sitting at a table in the guild hall with Jet and Droy, her frustration at them still rather high. Movement by the door to the infirmary caught her eye and she looked up to see Gajeel coming out of the room followed by Mira, who looked a little worried. Gajeel walked away from the white-haired mage, and Levy stood, moving to catch Mira before she made it back to the bar.

"Was Gajeel okay?" Levy asked worriedly, looking in the direction that the dragon had gone.

"He said it was from the job he had taken, but…. I've seen burn marks like those before on Natsu…." Levy looked back at the older woman, confused as to why Gajeel had lied about the injuries.

"He protected me from Laxus."

"What?"

"Jet and Droy were being stupid, wanting to prove their strength or something. They called Gajeel out to the park…. Gajeel didn't even fight back against them… And the Laxus showed up out of nowhere and started beating on Gajeel. He didn't even try to hold back… Kept saying something about how the Master letting him join was a mark of scorn for Fairy Tail. Jet told him to knock it off and Laxus sent an attack at us. Before any of us could move, Gajeel blocked the attack, even after taking all of the previous attacks as well… I had been hoping to catch him and thank him, but after he walked away I couldn't find him."

Mira just looked at her, a mixed expression of shock and worry. "And of course the master is out at a conference until the day of the festival….. It will be okay, Levy. Gajeel wasn't too badly injured, he seemed more sore than anything. Once the master comes back I'll let him know that Laxus is in town. He'll know how to handle it."  
Levy nodded, still worried, but she knew it would all work out. It almost always did when it came to Fairy Tail. Jet and Droy stood as she joined them by the table. "I think I'm ready to go home for today, I'm all tired out." She said, smiling at her partners. She glanced around once again before leaving with them.

* * *

The setting sun cast long shadows in front of them as they walked, all three of them rather quiet. There was another heavier set of footsteps following behind them. Gajeel wasn't even going to bother with the premise of hiding. Levy turned when she heard him and her eyes widened in what he thought was fear, though that thought went out the window when she stopped and let him walk right up towards her. Jet and Droy had walked a couple extra steps before realizing she wasn't walking between them anymore and turned towards her. Gajeel stopped just a few steps before her and gave her a glare.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just figured if you are walking the same way we are, we might as well all walk together."

"Who says I'm going the same way you are?"

"The fact that you have been following behind us since we left the guild."

"Tch." He turned his face away, crossing his arms. She could see the bandages that wrapped the arm that had blocked the attack meant for her. She wondered how bad it actually was.

"Levy, come on, just leave him." Jet said, glaring at the dragon. He wasn't going to fight the guy again, but he didn't like the way he was talking to his team mate.

"Nope. I'm gonna stand here as long as it takes." She said, smiling up at the grouchy face in front of her. She clasped her hands behind her back and moved so she was standing comfortably, just watching him. Gajeel huffed, glared at her and started walking, seeing her fall into step next to him as he passed her.

He glanced down at her a couple times as they all walked silently towards Fairy Hills. Jet and Droy were both on Levy's left, glaring behind her back at the iron dragon. Gajeel just watched ahead, hands in his pockets. Levy kept looking over at him, taking in his whole appearance now that she had the chance.

The arrived at the steps of the apartment building. Jet and Droy both said their goodbyes to Levy, promising to meet her to walk back to the guild the next morning. Levy just smiled and nodded at both of them before turning to look at Gajeel. He was standing off to the side, looking out away from the building, like he wasn't really there just to keep her safe. She sighed, "Gajeel... Thank you. Both for earlier today and for last week... and for walking us home." She then turned and walked into the building, not giving him a chance to give a smart-aleck remark. He turned to watch her leave before glaring at the other two mages and moment and heading off down a side street. He lived the whole way across town, not that he was planning on telling the shrimp that.

He hadn't expected her to just let him walk next to her like that. He was sure that by the next morning his deeds would wear-off and she would be scared of him again. He didn't deserve the thanks he was given, he had done nothing worth that kind of appreciation. He still owed her so much for what he did to her. There was no way he had already repaid that debt. He glanced down at the zeros on his wrist, wondering at how he could have ended up with a shrimp like her. He sighed as he unlocked the door to his rather small apartment. It was only 40,000 jewel a month, which was all he could really afford after all of the fines he still had to pay to the magic counsel. Though Makarov was paying him pretty well to do the jobs that he was asked to, in regards to Raven Tail.

The floor of the apartment was littered with scrap metal, most of it pulled from the junkyard down the road, so it was cheap and rusty, but it kept him going. The living area was rather small, just enough for a crappy table and some cushions as a couch. The kitchen was attached to the main room, just a single counter and a couple cabinets, with a small stove and a sink. The door on the west wall led to the bedroom, though it was just large enough for the mattress and dresser he had pulled from the junkyard. There was also a small stack of books piled near the table in the living room, all of them old bound leather.

He walked into his apartment with a yawn, locking the door behind him. He leaned down and picked up a few pieces of metal as he passed into the bedroom and plopped down onto the old mattress. It still smelled like junkyard, and he wished he could find something to get rid of the smell, but it was still better than sleeping on the crappy wooden floors. Though what he really wished for was something that smelled like Levy. Her scent was a mix of parchment, leather and something he couldn't quite place, but it calmed him so much faster than anything else. He growled in frustration, trying to push thoughts of the girl out of his mind so he could sleep, even though he knew that he would be thinking about her for hours into the night.

* * *

Levy was curled up in her large armchair in her small living room. She had a book open in front of her, but her thoughts were so far from the words on the page. She was wondering why he had been following her. Makarov had assured her that his apartment was on the complete other side of Magnolia when he had first joined. She was still afraid of him, but her fear took a different form now.

She wasn't scared to be close to him, though thoughts of being completely alone with him still scared her a bit. She didn't know enough about him to really trust him, though she was starting to be a bit curious. His piercings had caught her attention, the large studs down both arms as well as the many on his face and ears. They looked like they had hurt to get, but they seemed to be almost part of his skin. She couldn't even picture his tall form without them.

He was a puzzle, and now that she knew for sure that he wasn't going to hurt her, she wanted to figure him out. The book in front of her was actually a rather old book on dragons. It even listed a few well known ones, though there wasn't as much information on them as she had hoped. It was really a mix of myth and fact, and she wanted to know as much as she could, but with myths they could be really wrong.

Finally she closed the book, checking a clock to see that it was way past when she should have gone to bed. She got up from the chair, stretching her arms above her head. She dodged around the book piles littering her floor on her way to the bedroom. She jumped from the doorway onto the bed, the stacks of books next to the bed clearly in her way too much to walk the distance. She landed with a quiet thump, the mattress bouncing only slightly with her weight. She smiled to herself and curled up on the bed, falling asleep rather quickly.


	6. Heavy with Guilt

Levy walked into the guild late the next morning, having accidentally slept in. He searched the guild hall as she entered, eyes seeking out a particular dragon slayer that she wanted to talk to again. She was still confused why he had walked her home the night before and wanted to ask him directly. When she didn't see him anywhere she sighed and walked up to the bar. She sat down and put her satchel on the bar with a thump, the books inside all rather heavy.

Mira walked over, smiling at the down-cast girl. "Good Morning, Levy? Sleep well?"

"Good Morning Mira. I did once I actually remembered to go to bed... I was up reading again..." She said, smiling sheepishly. Mira just smiled, before putting out some breakfast food for the younger girl.

"Jet and Droy were looking for you earlier, something about a translating job they thought you would like. I'm not sure where they got to though..."

"Ah... I'll find them in a little while... I really do need to do some kind of job to get enough money for rent... I spent a bit too much on books this month." Mira laughed.

"You always spend too much on books."

"And I still don't have all the ones I want... Oh Well... maybe next month I'll be able to budget better! Thanks for the meal, Mira. I should probably go find those two and see what kind of trouble they have gotten themselves into now. "

Mira picked up the empty plate as Levy hopped off the stool and went off in search of her teammates. The white-haired mage watched the blunette rush off with a smile.

* * *

Gajeel blocked an attack with his steel covered arm, grunting as the attack pushed him back a few feet even with the defense. He was getting his ass handed to him, though he wasn't sure how. The two mages he was facing off against were both rather weak by themselves, but they were combining their abilities in ways he didn't expect and they were beating him down rather easily. He growled in frustration, turning his skin to scales before the next attack hit. He held his ground against that one, the shear force of his anger keeping him in place.

"You two punks are in for it now." He growled out, swinging a bladed arm wide to keep them at a distance until he could figure out how to beat them. The two mages dodged away from his attack before changing positions. He had seen them do this attack before, so he knew what was coming. He prepared to block the attack but as they started the attack, everything around him froze. He stood straighter, confused. The two mages were preparing an attack, but their movements stopped. So did all of the sound around him. In an instant, his entire surroundings changed.

It went from the scenery of a sunlit forest to a dark cavern in less than a second, causing Gajeel to drop into a defensive stance, eyes searching for what had caused the change. He knew he hadn't been transported anywhere, but he still wasn't sure what had changed.

Footsteps echoed off the walls around him, and he could tell someone was coming towards him, a sense of foreboding coming over him as he waited for this new person to become visible. An older man came around the bend in the cavern, hands clasped behind his back as he walked. His face was thin, a beard covering the lower part of it. A cloak flowed out behind him, fluttering quietly as he walked. The man was sneering at the dragon slayer, though his eyes held curiosity as well.

"Black Steel Gajeel... I'm surprised that you are the one I caught in my net. I was hoping for that damned Salamander, or at least Beast arm Elfman. Last I heard, you were guildless, so how did you end up on a job I planted in Fairy Tail?" Gajeel just shrugged with a roll of his shoulders, the fairy tail mark dark against his skin. "Don't tell me you joined them?"

"What difference does it make to you?" Gajeel was eyeing the man up, trying to determine if he was who he thought he was or not.

"And here I was hoping I would be the one to recruit you in the effort to take down that rotten guild."

"Raven Tail..." Gajeel growled out, barely keeping his anger at the man in front of him in check. This was the man who had hired out thugs to attack Levy. This was the one he needed to get his revenge on.

"You've heard of us then? I'm not surprised, considering Phantom Lord was as close to a dark guild as one could get while still having the counsels approval. I am Ivan Dreyar, the master of Raven Tail. And I was hoping to perhaps come to an agreement with you." Gajeel grunted, clenching his fists at his sides, but keeping his face rather calm. He forced himself to relax, needing to keep himself in check. This might be the way for them to get the info on Raven Tail that they so desperately needed.

* * *

Levy found her partners in the guild library, looking through books that they thought she might need to do the job they picked out. She sighed, running her hand through her hair. They tried to do this for her every time but they always grabbed all the wrong books. "Guys... Put those ones back, I'll find my own research material once I have a good look at the job posting." They both turned to her with smiles.

"Okay, Levy!" They said in unison, putting the stack of books they had gathered on a random shelf. She sighed again in frustration, making a note to come back later and fix the books. She picked up the paper laying on the table. It was a job to translate an old scroll for someone in town. They had purchased it from a collector's son and were wondering what was on it. They had placed a small section of the script on the posting, to make sure whoever took it would be able to translate it before accepting the job. Levy looked at the books on the shelves in front of her, trying to remember which books she needed.

"I need to go to the library for this one, could you two go pick up the actual scroll for the job and meet me there?" She asked, not seeing the books she needed on the shelves. They nodded, and left together. She left a few moments later, waving to Mira as she passed the bar on her way out of the building.

The walk to the library was quiet, even with the crowds of people she still felt rather alone. She forced herself to smile away the dark thoughts plaguing her. She was done being afraid of walking by herself. She didn't want to burden anyone with her own problems. She made it to the library just fine, walking through the double doors and into the smell of old books. The inside of the library was rather dim in comparison to the sunlight outside, but her eyes adjusted quickly to the change.

She waved at the older librarian who was sitting at the front desk, before she headed past the shelves in the main room and towards her usual wing. The Library had been kind enough to place all of the reference material she used into a smaller wing, off of the main room. It had become her own private collection, a place for her to go where no one really bothered her. She opened the door to the smaller room, taking in the rows of shelves that stretched away from her down the long room. All of the shelves were shorter, another consideration from the library staff, though they never really said anything about it and neither did she.

She set her bag down at the table closest to the door, and took the flyer with her as she walked the rows. Pulling a few books at a time she made a small stack on the table, surrounding herself with her books.

* * *

"You see... I'm at a bit of a stand still with information about Fairy Tail. I was a member a long time ago, but the mages I knew then have all grown and left. And now the strongest mages there are ones that I have never met in person. I wish to know more about them, and their weaknesses so that I can destroy them so completely that there won't be a single mage with that blasted mark still alive. So, here is my proposition. I would like you, Gajeel, to remain a member of that guild, but to provide me information on all of the members and on the movements of the guild as a whole. In return, you will be assisting in the final battle with them. You will assist in their demise, as revenge for the battles you've lost to them."

Gajeel could tell that agreeing to the plan that Ivan was providing was the only way for him to escape alive. He could tell just by the look in Ivan's eyes that if he didn't play this right, all hell was going to fall on him and his guildmates. "Gihihi Sounds kind of fun. Though one thing has to be said now."

"Hmm?"

"I get to be the one to pound that Salamander's head into dust." Ivan smirked, and nodded.

"Go back to Fairy Tail, for now. I will contact you later to gather any information you might have gleaned from them. But be warned, Redfox. Should I hear of double crossing, you will be the first on my list to destroy."

Without another word, the world shifted in front of his eyes yet again, leaving him back in the forest he had been fighting in previously, though the mages he had been fighting were gone from sight. Gajeel left the area quickly, deep in thought. He had to get back to Magnolia and tell Makarov what had happened.

* * *

Levy didn't even hear Jet and Droy come into the room, her thoughts too clouded by the books spread out in front of her. She was part way through translating what had been put on the flyer, though some of it was a bit hard to translate without more context from the rest of the script. She was mumbling under her breath when Jet cleared his throat behind her. She jumped with a squeak and turned to see them both smiling at her, trying hard not to laugh. Her face puffed up in anger, but Jet waved the scroll in front of her, and she grabbed it, smiling at them before placing it down on the table over top of her notes. The parchment was old, and she didn't want to do more damage than necessary. She unrolled it carefully, using lighter books to hold the corners. Her eyes scanned the parchment, finding the middle section that had been on the flyer before going back to the top.

"Thanks guys... I'll probably be at this a while, so you guys are off the hook for the night, I'll see you tomorrow. " She didn't even look at them as she spoke, her eyes trained on the symbols covering the paper. Jet and Droy watched her for a few moments before leaving, both a little worried about her, but they knew that if they stayed she would yell at them for being too loud.

She laid the parchment to one side, opening several other books around her. She had been wrong in the initial translation from the flyer, the language was slightly older than she had expected, but the language she had been using to translate was just based off the language that was actually used so it wouldn't be that much harder to trace the root words back and start from the beginning.

* * *

The sun was setting as the train Gajeel was riding pulled into the station in Magnolia. He was glad to be back home, but that wasn't going to ease his worry. He made his way quickly through the streets, back to the guild. It was starting to get quiet as evening drew in, the sun dipping low on the horizon. Gajeel's thoughts drifted to a blue-haired shrimp as he walked, wondering if she had left for home or not. He shook his head, pushing thoughts of her out of his mind. He had so much more to worry about.

He walked through the doors of the guild, eyes scanning the room automatically. He spotted Mira by the bar, talking to the blonde and salamander. He also spotted the shrimp's guard dogs, but he didn't see her. That confused him slightly, but he wasn't going to question them yet. He made his way to the bar, ignoring any attention he drew as he crossed the room.

"Is the Master here?" he asked, the barmaid, ignoring Natsu's attempt to get in a fight with him.

"He is at a council meeting until tomorrow. Did something happen?"

"Nothing to worry yourself about, just needed to talk to him about something. I'll just see him tomorrow then." Gajeel walked away from the bar and over to Jet and Droy, who were talking between themselves about something. "Oi... where's the shrimp?" He asked them, louder than necessary.

"Why would we tell you where Levy is?" Jet asked, turning to face Gajeel.

"Because I asked nicely. Don't make me ask again." He growled back as he stalked towards them.

"Its none of your business where she is." Droy said this time, hand going to one of the pouches on his belt.

"Where. Is. Levy?" He growled at them again, one fist turning to a rod and slamming to the floor as he waited for a response.

"I think she was headed to the library the last time I saw her... She was doing a translation job for someone in town." Mira's voice called across the silent room. Everyone in the guild hall had fallen silent, watching Gajeel and team shadow gear, afraid a fight would break out. Gajeel's hand shifted back and he glared at the two men before turning to Mira. He waved at her in thanks then walked out of the building. Jet and Droy both turned to glare at the barmaid.

"Why did you tell him where she is?" Jet was visibly angry. Droy was standing, ready to follow the iron dragon slayer out the door.

"I told him because he is trying to keep her safe. He isn't going to hurt her. And if someone hadn't told him, you both would be in the infirmary. Levy has already accepted him at part of our guild, so why haven't you?"

Neither of them had anything to say to that, and they didn't want to make Mira any more upset than she already was.

* * *

Heavy boots stomped in through the front doors of the Library just as the older librarian was getting ready to lock up for the night. Gajeel fixed the old man with a look before turning and closing his eye for a moment. It took him longer than necessary to pick out her scent from the others in the building though once he found it he was headed straight back through the rows, following her path. The old man called after him. "Remind her to lock up when she is done for the night." Gajeel ignored him, heading deeper into the building. He came to a door, and opened it quietly, suddenly wondering if he should even be there. His instincts told him that he needed to be, that he needed to be close to her, to make sure she was safe.

She didn't even look up when he walked in, which surprised him. He watched her from the doorway for a moment, wondering at her movements. Her face was covered partially by her red reading frames, as her eyes flicked across the pages faster than he realized was possible. She would read and then make a few notes with her other hand, fingers flipping through the pages rapidly. Her hair was pushed back by her hairband, though it looked like a few strands had managed to get loose and she would push them out of her face every few minutes, though they would fall right back.

He stepped deeper into the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. The only sounds in the room were her quill, their breathing, and pages fluttering quietly as she flipped them. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, afraid that if he made a sound it would interrupt her. Her expressions were so different than he was used to seeing. Gone was the fear and anxiety at his presence. Her eyes only showed determination and focus. He stood near the door watching her for what seemed like hours, but was only a few minutes. As he watched she finished the last of her notes. She read them over a few times before smiling.

"Finished!" She said to herself excitedly, getting up to start putting the books away. That's when she finally noticed the feeling of being watched. She stopped her motions and turned towards the door. Her only light had been a small lantern set near her on the table, so his face was still mostly in shadows, though the light did glint off of the piercings on his arms. "Gajeel..." She said quietly, surprise filled her tone, though he could not detect any fear. She stepped towards him and he took a step back, farther into the shadows.

He didn't deserve the look of forgiveness that shone from her eyes as she looked at him. He truly didn't, though he had not way of telling her that. He had betrayed her trust in him before they had even met, and he didn't deserve the emotions shining in her eyes as she faced him.

"I'm not scared of you, Gajeel..."

"Maybe you should be." He said, his voice low. She watched him carefully as she approached. He didn't move any farther away, but he didn't move any closer to her either. She took his wrist in her small hand, her fingers not even able to wrap completely around it. She pulled him gently towards the table she had been working at. He let her pull him, her touch on his wrist still his thoughts.

"You will never hurt me again. I know that for sure now."

"How?" His voice was soft. He watched her as they walked back to the table. She gently pulled the glove off his hand, and put her own wrist next to his.

"This is how." She said, equally soft, as they both looked down. Their clocks, both displaying zeros were next to each other. That clock was the bane of his existence, and her last hope. He pulled his wrist away from hers, held it against his chest like it was wounded. His eyes met hers and she saw a deep sadness in them, one that even she couldn't completely understand. He turned away, and moved to leave. "Wait... Gajeel... Please." Her voice begging him to stay with more than just her words. She sounded on the edge of tears, though he had not seen evidence of them on her face a moment before. He stopped, but didn't turn to face her, not sure if he could.

"I hurt you. That is something I can't even forgive myself for. And yet there you stand, forgiveness in your eyes. I don't deserve you." His voice broke at the last word, and before she could say anything to stop him, he was gone. She slammed the desk with her fist, taking a deep breath. She had promised herself no more tears, and she wasn't about to cry now. She picked up all of the papers scattered around and put them in her satchel. She looked around the room once and sighed, promising herself to come back in the morning and put the books away. The doors locked quietly behind her as she left, and made her way home. As she walked she clutched his glove in her hands, fingers rubbing over the leather. Though she couldn't see him, she knew he was still there, watching her, making sure she got home safe. Before she walked into the dorm building she turned to face the night around her.

"Goodnight Gajeel..." She called quietly into the dark before turning and entering the brightly lit dorm-entrance hall.

* * *

So I lied... I'm probably going to be updating on either saturdays or sundays from now on, cause those are really the only times I get to write right now without feeling utter exhaustion. This new job is great, but also really tiring...

Anyways, thanks for reading, and I hope you liked this latest installment. Next comes Fantasia!


End file.
